Shortstory from Nov 2002
Pepper can hear little other than the sound of his own heart as he swims deeper. Deeper, down towards the ghostly shadow of the ancient vessel. His excitement enhances his awareness of the world, and as he descends he can feel the subtle gesturing of eddies within the water, and an almost imperceptible change in temperature.
A rent in its long-rusted side offers Pepper access to the ships bowels. The darkness inside casts a silent reverence on Pepper, like that of a mourner at a graveyard. Pepper shivers. Before entering, Pepper pauses to fortify his courage - there was no telling what he may find within… For an instant Pepper considers leaving. Respecting the sanctity of this underwater tomb.
“No.” He whispers to the darkness, fixing his will on the task. “I must be brave.”
Pepper slowly enters the ship. For the moment it takes his eyes to adjust, he dumbly blinks into the darkness. Then he starts at the contents; a cloud of debris languidly floats throughout the room but, more importantly, in the centre there lies a large chest. A chest! Pepper almost laughs out loud at the cliché, yet he is eager to check the contents. In reaching the chest he would’ve hardly noticed passing the sad artefacts of a last doomed voyage but, strangely, there are none.
The lid of the chest is lifted easily, and Pepper lets out an involuntary sigh of pleasure at the sight.
“Gold.” His lips mouth the words without sound.
His brain is an explosion of thoughts. The chest had revealed its vividly painted plastic inset like a proud fisherman displays his trawl, the yellow/orange reflects in Peppers eyes. With a sudden flurry of excitement, Pepper the Goldfish exits the sunken ship…
Peppers mind is racing as he slips out of the model sunken ship. All that money! Where could he begin to think of how to spend it? Fantasies are coming thick and fast, and it takes much effort to settle his mind enough to concentrate on just one at a time. His eyes are glazed as he considers the possibilities;
“I could buy that record player and those few jazz LPs I’ve had my eye on.” He volunteers to himself cautiously. Then he has a new thought; Imagine his friends’ amazement, admiration and envy at him pulling up in a brand-new Bentley, with that Cardinal from Jeff’s Exotic Fish seated beside him… but how would he afford it? Pepper has no idea… His thoughts become sombre and he swims dejectedly through some Anubias and down towards an interesting sunken ship he’s just noticed. As he headed towards it his heart begins racing with excitement…